The Mirror, The Ring and The Heiress
by Rosefyre 'Rio' Lee
Summary: Ashlee O'Conner used to believe her Grandfather Dumbledore's old mirror lead to other worlds. But that's silly, even for a Triad Daughter, especially at 16 years old. The truth is it leads to one other world, one that desperately needs her help! R&R plz!
1. Chapter 1

Oracle of Tolkin

"_He's not going to beat me this time; I've taken beatings from him one too many times. He may be a great swordsman but I'm an _O'Conner_, and I think I've had just about enough. I _know_ I've had enough! Master Orthous might think all us pureblood kids are the same, but I'm going to show him,_ today,_ that he couldn't be more wrong!_" thought Ashlee O'Conner as she stepped into the Orthous School of Swordsmanship that day.

Ashlee was the youngest descendant of the Ruling Family of the O'Conner Trithear, and she had never yet failed at anything she had been required to learn - or took it upon herself to learn, for that matter. Yet time and time again Master Orthous had been able to defeat her with ease. He might be great, but there was only so much a Trithear Princess could take. Especially one like Ashlee Jolene Riddle O'Conner. This time she was determined to not give ground, or be tripped, or fall for any traps. Ashlee may be a student of Monsieur Louie Orthous, but today the student would teach the teacher!

Louie Orthous was very handsome. He was tall and lithe, and had built up a healthy muscular structure, due to his calling. His hair was strawberry blond, his eyes a dazzling dark sapphire. Many of the village girls sighed and stared when he walked by. However, beyond his dashing good looks, Louie was a great Swordsman, and a superbe teacher of swordsmanship. For years noble and aristocratic Pureblood families had sent their children to him to learn the ancient and traditional art of sword fighting, little knowing that –in all- he had won over fifty duels in his time - quite a few to the death, to his dismay.

One person who did know was Albus Dumbledore. One of the main reasons Dumbledore had suggested Louie teach his granddaughter was because of the Sword Master's dueling record. Dumbledore wished for Ashlee to have real skills, not just ones that were for show. Ashlee didn't mind that, she'd been eager to learn from a new teacher, and real skills were of course preferable to fraudulent ones. What she hadn't counted on was the near constant battering she took nearly every class. Sure, she'd known it would not be easy. It wasn't like anything she had tried to learn before; one couldn't read a book and memorize it, after all. Yet - was it really necessary to be this hard on her? Today Ashlee would show Monsieur Orthous she was not any little witch from any magical family - she was no push over!

Louie for his part had never met such a devoted student. Though he didn't tell her so, he'd confided to Dumbledore that he was surprised and happy with the amount of passion she poured into her classes. She had guts, focus and a determination that paled in comparison to his other students. Dumbledore had actually been the one to grant him permission to push her harder, and now in her sixth year of classes, she was a level Nine.

When Master Orthous entered the sparring room, he saw the look on Ashlee's face and smiled. Ashlee however didn't notice and went on warming up while Master Orthous retrieved their usual steal swords and set up. Ashlee had graduated from the old wooden swords a few years ago, one of the few of Louie's students to ever have done so. When she'd finished the last repetition of stretches, she closed her eyes for a moment to relax and refocus. Then she got up and retrieved her sword from the bench where her master had placed it, and approached the sparring mats.

"Mlle Ashlee, you seem so determined! Is my defeat so important to you?" asked Louie kindly.

"No Master," replied Ashlee," it's just I am growing tired of losing to you. I know your expertise and experience are far greater than any measly level nine student, and that it is not unusual for someone like you to defeat students over and over . . . but," Ashlee sighed forcefully, "any student will get tired of losing, eventually." Louie hid a smile. "But above all that, -if you'll pardon me for saying so- I think you've forgotten that I am no ordinary student.

"I see," he said, "are you ready for today's lesson then?"

_The question is are you ready? _thought Ashlee, as she moved into the starting ring, her movements precise, eyes cool even as she drew her blade with a twist of her wrist, the blade whistling as it flew from the sheath. Master Orthous followed her lead, stepping in his own starting circle opposite hers.

"On guard, Mlle Ashlee!" cried Master Orthous, unable to hide his smile now.

"On guard Master" echoed Ashlee, her voice betraying her eagerness. The space between them was heavy as the air grew still, master and student carefully sizing the other with their eyes. Ashlee moved slowly, the tip of her sword nearly touching the polished floor even as Master Orthous followed her, his entire body coiled like a predatory animal, his sharp eyes crinkling in amusement slightly. She almost missed the change in posture, but as his arm became a blur, Ashlee raised her own weapon to block, and their swords clashed together. Dueling had never been Ashlee's favorite physical lesson, but she had always attacked it with one hundred and ten percent, and today -it seemed- was no different. With each swing, the older man had a counter, every block drove her further and further backwards.

Ducking a swing, she rolled under the Her Master's outstretched arm and kicked sharply up, catching him hard in the midriff knocking the wind from him and allowing the girl the split second to fall back into a ready stance.

"You have improved." Master Orthous nodded slightly in approval of her movements.

"You haven't" Her wicked grin incited a flick of her teachers blade, shearing close to her head and severing a lock of pink hair, sending the strands scattering through the air. "Okay, now that was just mean."

The two of them dueled skilfully, as Dumbledore watched from a bench nearby, the beauty and savagery of their dance bringing tears to his eyes. So caught up was he in their duel he couldn't even concentrate on the book he'd brought to read. Twinkling blue eyes widened slightly as the pair continued their mock bout. Swords flashed as they performed what would eventually prove to be a deadly dance, when put to work on the battlefield. He glanced back down at the book open in his gnarled hands and realized with amusement that he had lost where on the page he had been reading, so caught up he had been in watching their battle. He could tell that Ashlee was becoming more and more skilled with each passing day. It would be only a matter of time before she would finally be ready. Unfortunately, time was the one thing Dumbledore had just about run out of.

Barreling forward, she attacked with greater ferocity the before. Sparks rang from the clashing swords and her ears buzzed with the ringing of their weapons. She caught the older man's ankle with her foot and managed to twist it sharply enough that he spilled to the floor. Ashlee spun and kicked out with her other foot, knocking the older man's sword from his hand, as he crashed to the hard training room floor.

If she had managed to actually _catch_ his sword as it fell, the moment would have been perfect. As it was, she over reached and tripped over his prone form crashing down on top of him with an odd squeaking noise even as the falling sword landed and skittered across the floor landing far out of arm's reach.

Louie laughed as Ashlee scrambled to her feet and turned to help him up. "Oui - Oui, You have done it! Very good, Superbe." Louie was amazed at her ingenuity and genius. He had not expected to be defeated today, yet it proved that Ashlee could do what she set out to. "Shall we se retirer for today?"

"Yes Master Orthous," replied Ashlee, unable to hide the triumph in her voice, "Thank you for this lesson," she bowed prettily.

'But of course," said Louie. He came close to Ashlee then. "Perhaps we can work on that finisher more next time, Mon petite?' He winked at her and she giggled. "Ah,' he said out loud again "Mlle could take on a true swordsman, Magnifique!"

On the homebound train after wand dueling with Kingsley, Ashlee was stretching her tired muscles on the floor of their compartment, in between bites of a piece of toast that had cream cheese and olive spread on it. Dumbledore was reading his red leather bound book, when he stopped to look at her. It was a sort of sizing up look. Ashlee looked up just in time to see it and wondered what made her Dumbley look at her like that.

"Ashlee," he began, "are you familiar with J.R.R. Tolkin's works?"

"Hmmm," said Ashlee, thinking as she stretched "You mean the guy who wrote about those poor hobbits?"

"Yes, I believe so," returned Dumbledore. He'd never thought of them as 'poor hobbits'. As far as he could tell, the Baggins' were quite rich, in material wealth as well as in friendship.

"Poor things," reiterated Ashlee shaking her head. "If I had written the book things would be different for them." Dumbledore's eyebrows flew up. It was hard for him to conceal the excitement in his voice.

"Really . . . how would you have changed things?" Ashlee never noticed his odd tone.

"Well for one thing Boromir wouldn't die just as he repented." Ashlee frowned. The _Muggles_ might consider it a good book, but it was examples like the Lord of the Rings that made Ashlee wonder if families like the Malfoy's might not be _entirely_ wrong about them. "And I would see to it that Frodo was justly rewarded for all that valor."

"But doesn't he live forever?" asked Dumbledore. Ashlee gave him her 'you-don't-get-it-do-you' look. Dumbledore frowned politely and Ashlee immediately regretted using the look that she usually reserved for people who didn't get what she was saying after she'd explain it to them twice already on him.

"He was going to get that anyway," she said, "remember they made him an Elf Friend at the beginning?" Dumbledore scratched his chin through his beard thoughtfully trying to pretend he hadn't read the book as many times as he had.

"Oh, yes, now I recall. Please continue."

"Right," she said trying not to give him anymore unusual looks, "anyway, I'd make sure he stayed healthier, so that he wouldn't have to leave Middle-Earth as soon as he did." Dumbledore looked ready to comment but held his tongue. "Also I'd make sure that the Uruk-hai didn't get past King Théoden's Rock Fortress thingy. I'd save the kids and that Elf guy who died. Yeah there are many things I'd do, but I'm too busy writing my own story to write a fan fiction." Ashlee sighed and got back to stretching. Dumbledore smiled, this was exactly what he had hoped to hear from her. Now was the moment if ever there was one.

"Ashlee do you remember that mirror of mine you used to say led to another world?" Dumbledore asked, putting forth even more of an effort to sound calm.

"Yes," said Ashlee, thinking it strange for Dumbley to bring such a thing up. It was so long ago. Why should he suddenly remember what she said about the old mirror?

"Tomorrow it will be in my office. I'd like it if you'd come see me first thing in the morning."

~A/N: I was stuck on a few sentences in this chapter so I got my friend HellzCrusader to help out. In between the ' ' indicates where my friend 'kicked it up a notch' Yes that was an Emeril quote but "Eliot from Leverage is better." - HellzCrusader ~


	2. Chapter 2

The Mirror

When Ashlee awoke the next day, the sun had already risen over the mountains and was just beginning to shine through her windows.

_Why did no one come to get me_, she wondered. Then she remembered what Dumbledore had told her on the train home yesterday. _Oh yes that's right_,_ I am supposed to go see Dumbley in his office today. _Ashlee quickly got out of bed, and dressed in her school uniform.

_I wonder why Dumbley canceled Sunday's physical him lessons. _Ashlee recalled yesterday's train ride home and realized that Dumbledore had clearly been trying to hide something. It wasn't like him to feign ignorance, especially when he came to some of his favorite reading material - classic Muggle Fantasy novels. The more she thought about it, the more suspicious she became.

_What are you up to, Dumbley? _she thought curiously, as she finished getting ready. Looking in her mirror one last time, she smiled at her appearance. _It won't be dangerous at any rate,_ she thought to herself, _Dumbley wouldn't be as delighted as he was if it were something dangerous. _Ashlee opened her door and walked down the spiral stairs to her living area.

_Likely as not, the mirror simply does something similar to the Mirror of Erised. Maybe it shows your fantasies! That would really help with some of my short stories, _thought Ashlee as she walked across the room, to her front door. Ashlee grasped the handle and opened it only to find Dumbledore standing there, holding his hand as if he were about to knock.

"Great minds think alike, hmm?" he said, and winked. Ashlee smiled knowing he'd picked this up from her mother, Maranda's, letters to him. "Shall we go see the mirror?" Ashlee raised an eyebrow at him. Now that she was paying attention, even Dumbledore's long flowing beard could not hide his unruly smile.

"What are you up to Dumblie?" she asked, "You know it's no good keeping secrets from me. I might tell _certain persons_." Ashlee was teasing him, of course, the last thing she expected was for Dumbledore to take her seriously. However that was exactly what he did.

"Now-now, my Ashlee, it is of the utmost importance that you tell no one what I'm about to show to you." He said hurriedly, the smile vanishing from his face as if it had never been. "It has nothing to do with Mr. Potter, as you clearly suspect, and if it did, I _promise_ you, you would be most welcome to tell him what passed between us."

All the happy thoughts about fantasy producing mirrors evaporated from Ashlee's mind. A worried frown appeared on her face.

_What _are_ you up to, grandfather, _she thought. Dumbledore had never kept her in suspense this long. It was rare he could keep anything from her. She'd known about Harry's fate even before Harry had, and had kept it from him only because she felt that something that important should come from an adult.

"Come along Ashlee, time marches ever onward, and it waits for no one, be they Magic or Muggle." Dumbledore took her hand (something he hadn't done since she was small) and led her down the hall. Ashlee couldn't imagine that a mirror could have so much significance, or that it could have anything to do something dangerous, but with every step they took it became more and more obvious that this was no ordinary walked to the headmaster's office.

As they reached the office door, Dumbledore spoke to her in a hushed whisper, "This mirror was given to me by my oldest grandfather, when he was on his deathbed. It was also in his will that it went to me, but he wanted to be sure there was no mistake. It was rather odd, no one had much interest in it, and yet . . ." He trailed off, frowned for moment, then turned and cautiously let Ashlee into the office. Carefully making sure no one was nearby he closed the door tightly behind him and locked it.

The mirror stood in the middle of the floor, partially obscuring Dumbledore's desk. It was a huge, golden, full-length mirror, at least as big as the Mirror of Erised, but instead of being tarnished, it was highly polished, and shown like the sun. Holding the sides of the mirror were two winged Griffins, both were of gold, though so finely made that each feather and each hair seemed a slightly different shade of gold. For eyes, one had green emeralds, the other dark blue sapphires. Their claws seemed silver though upon closer inspection they were unlike any metal Ashlee had ever seen before.

Once he seemed sure that no one had snuck into his office in his absence, Dumbledore continued in a voice closer to his customary volume. "I always loved my Grandfather's mirror. Sometimes I would pretend that it could hear what I said. I would tell it all about my adventures, and my troubles. It was a few years before things with Grindelwald came to a head that I - I discovered something about the mirror - that, well - even to this day I do not have the words to describe accurately." Dumbledore conducted her to stand directly beneath the emerald-eyed one's outstretched wing. Ashlee felt that she couldn't be more astonished than she was at the moment. How could there possibly be something in the magical world that Dumbledore himself could not describe? Her grandfather had lived hundred and fifty-six years, perhaps he had not seen everything, but surely, he had seen enough, and read enough, that he could describe nearly everything, _right_?

"Now pull the wing down as far as it will go." Ashlee looked at Dumbledore, looked at the wing and looked back at Dumbledore.

"This isn't going to fry my brain right?" she asked. Dumbledore seemed to be trying very hard not to laugh.

"My dearest granddaughter," he said, his eyes sparkling, "if it were anyone else, I would have to say that yes, perhaps it might damage the mind. It pains me to say it, but not many people in the magical world truly believe that _anything is possible_. Wizards and witches talk of Muggles being mundane, when in fact the truth is it is not magic or lack of magic that makes someone mundane, but their minds lack of ability to stretch and accept things that," Dumbledore paused as if trying to find the right words, "up until the moment it happened seemed very much impossible."

He walked over to Ashlee and put his hands on her shoulders. "_Nothing_ is impossible. My grandfather knew this, and he knew that I was likely the only person in his family who would be able to also realize it." He smiled at Ashlee, and pet her pretty pink hair, gently. "I have faith that you, Little Dreamer, also have this ability I speak of. You know in your heart that what you see, do, and understand may not -in fact-be the truth of reality. And I'll let you in on a secret," he said kneeling down next to her. "In all the years I've had the mirror in my possession, I've come to the realization that there may not -in fact- _be_ one truth, or -for that matter- one _reality_." He smiled, and chuckled.

_My eyes must be about to fall out of my head,_ thought Ashlee,_ they sure as heck feel like they're about to._ She wasn't exactly sure how wise Dumbledore's words were or if in fact they were wise at all. It seemed like he was repeating everything she had secretly wished or hoped was true about the nature of the world. If this was some kind of weird test, maybe something to prove she was ready to be Grand . . . Ashlee shook her head. Dumbledore wouldn't do that. He wouldn't mess with her sense of what was real - not even for Grand Marie.

Ashlee took a deep breath, took hold of the griffin's wing and whispered to herself part of one of her favorite songs by Josh Groban;

"Just Believe,", and pulled the wing of the left hand griffin down. The wing moved with surprising ease. Dumbledore went and stood before the mirror. Ashlee curiously went to stand beside him.

The glass of the mirror had completely transformed. It was more like a plane of water that someone had thrown a stone into, than glass anymore. Furthermore, like water, once the rippling subsided you could see through to the other side. However, instead of the bottom of a pond or the inside of a mirror, one could clearly see a _room_ through the plane of water. Sitting in the room was an old Wizard with a long dull, grey beard and a sad, tired look about him. Yet despite the similarities this was not just a reflection of Dumbledore, for the man suddenly turned, noticed the activity of the mirror and got up to come over to it.

"Dumbledore, right on time as usual," said the wizard, with a hint of humour in his voice. "Oh, and who is this lovely young lady you've brought with you?" when he spied Ashlee gawking at him. That couldn't be - it wasn't possible . . .

"Ashlee, this is my old friend Gandalf the Grey. Gandalf, this is the young lady you've heard so much about, my granddaughter, Ashlee O'Conner." Ashlee looked at Gandalf. Gandalf looked at Ashlee. It had only been a moment ago that she told herself 'just believe', and yet suddenly that moment seemed like it had been a million years ago. Time stopped. Ashlee's mind was a blank, she had no idea what to think. Then from a small corner of her mind an idea came to her.

_Dumbledore and Gandalf kinda look similar._ More thoughts joined this one. _You're right, it looks like they could be long-lost brothers or something._ Ashlee couldn't help giggling - and just like that time started up again as if nothing out of the ordinary had ever happened.

She curtsied politely. A"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Gandalf seemed confused, but returned the greeting anyhow.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. O'Conner, but why has Dumbledore brought you see me?" Ashlee opened her mouth to speak but then snapped it closed and looked up at Dumbledore, perplexed.

"Actually, that's a good question," she said politely, "why am I here Dumblie?" Dumbledore smiled at her. She could see he was proud of her, but she had a feeling she little knew how proud.

"She is here Gandalf, because she has shown an interest in helping you with your-," Dumbledore cleared his throat, "-dilemma."

"He puts it so nicely," mumbled Gandalf, as he smoothed his moustache. Ashlee looked from one old Wizard to the other. Was it really necessary for them to use wordplay when they were all standing right here? It's not like she was listening from another room for Pete's sake! She put her hands on her hips and gave them a typical teenage look of impatience.

"Exactly what 'dilemma' are we speaking of?" she asked. Dumbledore nodded to her as if they had already come to an understanding.

"Why the dilemma we spoke of on the train yesterday," he said smoothing her hair again. "You can't have forgotten already?" Ashlee looked confused for moment. She recalled Dumbledore asking her about the Lord of the Rings on the train. She remembered telling him how she hadn't thought book hadn't gone very well and how she would've liked to have fixed it . . .

"Oh for Pete's sake," she said, as she suddenly realized what was going on here. Dumbledore wanted her to _help_ Gandalf. His _dilemma_ was destroying the One Ring. Ashlee opened her mouth to tell Dumbledore off - but nothing came out. She looked at Gandalf intending to convey to him with a clear expression how crazy Dumbledore was for even thinking that she could save Middle Earth - but was stopped dead by the look on Gandalf's face.

It was a look that Ashlee hated. It was the look of doubt.

Gandalf doubted that Ashlee could help him.

"Very well, yes, we were speaking of it on the train home, and I do recall saying I would fix some things if I had the chance." Ashlee made sure her voice sounded airy and nonchalance as if she destroyed rings of ultimate evil for worlds of swords and sorcery on a daily basis. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Gandalf's look turned from one of doubt to one of astonishment. She smiled at him sweetly while in her head she pumped her fist.

_That'll teach you doubt me, you old geezer._

"Still how will I fix them from here?" She asked looking over at Dumbledore. The smile of triumph on Dumbledore's face nearly made her heart skipped a beat, as she realized he wasn't kidding about sending her to Middle Earth.

"That is an brilliant question," he said cheerily, "to which I have a brilliant answer. This Mirror doesn't simply _look _into another world. It's agatewayas well!" and Dumbledore stuck his hand through to show her. Ashlee swallowed nervously. Her bluff -it seemed- had been called.

"Bloody-" she began, but then glanced at Gandalf. He didn't seem to notice her rude language.

"Dumbledore, I don't want to sound as if I doubt you, or your dear grandchild, but I'm not sure you understand what's at stake here." Ashlee and Dumbledore looked at each other like it was Gandalf who didn't get it.

"Hmmm," began Ashlee, "Is it sort of like an ultimate evil is trying to take over your world," asked Ashlee, a bit more sarcastically than she meant it to come out.

"Does that evil have only one weakness," Dumbledore didn't sound sarcastic at all, but deadly serious. Ashlee decided to take her cue from him.

"Can this evil see right through your thoughts if he desires," pursued Ashlee.

"Do you have little or no defence against this evil now that he has risen again," Dumbledore added.

"And does the destruction of this evil fall on the slim shoulders of one young man," Ashlee inquired, looking straight into Gandalf's eyes with a fire in her own. It really wasn't fair how that tended to be the case in these matters.

Gandalf seemed speechless for a moment. "In the end, I'm afraid, that all you say is true," he finally admitted. Ashlee looked at Dumbledore in a way that said she thought Gandalf an amateur.

"The boy our world's fate rests on is an intimate friend of mine," she said simply, "but I think I can spare you a few months. The climax to our little drama is still two years away."

Gandalf looked like she had just run him through with her sword. Dumbledore squinted his eyes as if she had just squirted lemon juice on his tongue. Ashlee got the distinct feeling she just said something terribly wrong.

"Dumbledore, I had no idea you had such troubles! Please, don't allow me to worry you more with my world's conflict." He seemed to be reaching beyond the mirror's edge to pull or twist something on his own side. It was the first time Ashlee comprehended that there might be another face to the mirror on the other side of the Gateway, and that it wasn't simply a plain of water appearing in that realm. Ashlee had never encountered a stable gateway before, especially in the Muggle movies she had watched.

"Wait!" said Dumbledore stepping forward quickly. "Listen to me Gandalf. We might have our troubles, but I am not able to turn my back to you and yours. You know my realms Laws of Magic regarding this matter. I owe you my life, many times over. As I can't spare myself from my own battle, I must send someone in my place. Even if this were not the case, I would never abandon you in your time of need. Please, Gandalf, my time is short; let me repay my debt to you." Gandalf was uncomfortably startled by this revelation.

"Dumbledore, you are ages younger than I, how can your life be so short?" It took Ashlee a moment to understand how long a time Gandalf was referring too.

"In our world Wizards and Witches only live two 'centuries'," she told him trying to muster the proper melancholy. To her two hundred years was good and long, but to Gandalf -she knew- it must seem dreadfully brief. "Dumbledore is one hundred and fifty-six years old. There will not be another interval within his lifetime when he might pay the debt he owes you." This was most troubling to Gandalf.

"Dumbledore, I had no idea. Since it is so important to you, I will indeed accept your granddaughter Ashlee's help. It's true; we need all the help we can get." He paused; his worries having obviously increased since they had activated the mirror, judging by the lines on his forehead. "I can't thank you enough for your kindness."

Dumbledore was gently smiling once again. Ashlee may have almost upset his plans but she had also saved them. Ashlee wasn't sure whether to hope this had increased his faith in her, or diminished it.

"There is no need to thank me," said Dumbledore modestly. "If it wasn't for you saving a certain foolish youth, not only would I not have lived to learn wisdom, but my own Ashlee wouldn't be standing here today, either. I owe you everything Gandalf. Everyday I'm thankful I have you for a friend."

Gandalf's smile was uneven. He suddenly seemed more like Dumbledore's long lost brother than ever. "And I you, Albus."


End file.
